1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to systems for manufacturing concrete products. In particular it concerns a continuously operating system for manufacturing concrete products, such as concrete brick.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past concrete brick manufacturing has been basically a batch process generally comprising the following steps:
(A) BATCH WEIGH THE AGGREGATE AND CEMENT MATERIALS;
(B) BATCH MIX THE MATERIALS;
(C) DEPOSIT THE MIXED MATERIALS INTO A BRICK MOLD BY BATCHES, THE BRICK MOLDS HAVING PRESSURE HEADS BY WHICH THE MATERIAL IS COMPACTED INTO THE MOLD;
(D) REMOVING THE BRICKS FROM THE MOLD AND PLACING THEM ON A PALLET;
(E) PLACING THE PALLETS IN RACKS;
(F) PLACING THE RACKS ON TRANSFER CARS;
(G) PLACING THE RACKS ON THE CARS IN AN AUTOCLAVE WHERE THE BRICKS ARE CURED;
(H) TRANSFERRING THE BRICKS TO AN AREA WHERE THEY ARE DEPALLETIZED AND "CUBED," I.E., STACKED IN CUBES; AND
(I) DELIVERING THE CUBES TO STORAGE YARDS.
There are several disadvantages of batch systems. Batch systems require relatively large equipment for mixing and pouring of the wet concrete mixture. The autoclaves required for curing in such systems are also relatively large items of equipment and usually require heat maintenance around the clock. Such systems naturally require large capital investments and are expensive to maintain and operate. As many as 50 or 60 people may be required to operate such a system producing a hundred thousand bricks a day. Such systems also result in material waste since formula changes cannot be made with small volume changes.
Of course, over the past years improvements have been made in these processes. However, the universally accepted methods of manufacturing concrete products are still of the batch type.